Western Greenway hiking series offered in Waltham

This summer, on the third Saturday of each month, the Waltham Land Trust is offering a free, guided hike along one third of the built Western Greenway Trail.

Volunteers with the Land Trust and the Friends of the Western Greenway have completed seven miles of the proposed 20-mile circuit trail from the Mass Audubon Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont to Gentlemanís Way in Waltham, south of the Paine Estate and north of the intersection of Beaver and Forest streets.

The first trek of the series on June 21 was led by Roger Wrubel, Land Trust Advisory Board member and executive director of the Mass Audubon Habitat Education Center. Twenty hikers covered just over 2 miles from Habitat to the MetFern Cemetery in the Beaver Brook Reservation as the sun set on the summer solstice.

The second hike will be on July 19 at 1:30 pm. Land Trust board director and map/trail guide creator David Kehs will lead the three-mile walk, guiding participants through the Beaver Brook North Reservation and the Middlesex County Hospital Lands to Our Lady's Comforter of the Afflicted Church on Trapelo Road. Hikers must have the ability to trek over hills, roots, rocks and stumps. Sturdy shoes, competent footwork and registration are required. Email Diana at dyoung@walthamlandtrust.org or call the Land Trust office at 781-893-3355 to sign up and receive parking instructions.

The final trek will be Aug. 16, at a time to be determined. It will depart from Our Ladyís and travel through the Chester Brook Corridor of the Western Greenway trail south to Gentlemanís Way. Register for the last walk with Sonja at swadman@walthamlandtrust.org or by calling the office.

The Waltham Land Trust is the communityís primary environmental nonprofit group, creating a legacy of land conservation in Waltham by promoting, protecting, restoring and acquiring open space, according to the organization. To learn more and see new maps of where these hikes will take place, visit the website at www.walthamlandtrust.org.